Can I run more than 4 virtual machines using Hyper-V Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise Edition as the host?

23
2013-08
  • James Holland

    I understand that a single Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise Edition license includes 4 free guest virtual machines using Hyper-V. Suppose I do that, and have 4 VMs running, but then want to expand.

    If I separately purchase additional Windows licenses, or I consolidate a machine with an existing license, can I spin up a 5th, 6th virtual machine (presuming there are enough CPU/RAM resources on the host)? Or does the host OS limit the number of virtual machines allowed?

    • Answers
  • William Hilsum

    There is no technical limitation on the number of Virtual Machines you can host.

    However, I believe that the licence permits 4 Virtual copies per physical copy installed not per licence.

    ...On top of this, surely, you would still be entitled to install as many copies as you like if you purchased a Windows Server licence for each extra instance. That being said, You may want to take a look at Datacenter edition - which entitles you to use as many instances of Windows as you want.

    I do not think Microsoft would punish or try to sue you if you tried and had paid for a copy, however, I think it is breaking the terms.

    IANAL


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  • Shaul

    The situation: as a freelance developer, I need to work in a similar development environment to the other people on the project. Because the dev environment has so many dependencies and 3rd party product, the project leader has created a Windows 7 Virtual Machine containing all the necessary supporting software. I was working very happily on WinXP till now; to get this VM working, I had to buy a new HDD and install Windows 2008 Server, and run the VM under Hyper-V.

    The pain: What I didn't realize before installing all this stuff is that Hyper-V partitions off your available RAM between the host OS and the VM. I have 4GB of RAM on my machine, which is just great for my needs... but when I have to slice it up into 2GB each for my Win2k8 host and the Win7 VM, the performance of both has taken a hideous turn for the worse. The dev environment on the VM is so slow that I am finding myself actually screaming in frustration. That's a sign if there ever was one, that something has to change.

    Truthfully, I really don't need or want Win2k8 on my machine. The drivers for my printer and the sync software on my cellphone don't work on Win2k8. Internet Explorer comes up with all these annoying security messages that I can't work out how to disable. Someone told me they think there's some way to boot up into the Win7 VM such that it gets access to all my system resources, including all my USB ports, and other peripherals. If necessary, I have Win7 installation CD and can reformat my Win2k8 drive to use Win7.

    Can it be done? If so, what is the path of least pain between what I have now and what I need?


    • Related Answers
  • Samson

    The first answer was great, but an alternative would be to use NeoSmart's EasyBCD. The option to boot into a .vhd can be easily configured and will appear in your boot menu, allowing you to choose it anytime you restart.

  • Joe Internet

    Yes, you can do this with Windows 7 Ultimate or Enterprise. You can also do it with Server 2008 R2 (note the R2).

    Here's what TechNet has...